6ft Under Poverty Line
by Pheonix2125
Summary: Bruce lives in poverty struggling to make enough to live on and support his adopted kid Richard. It doesn't help that they have their vigilant expenses weighting on them either. When off jobs couldn't support them he became an escort.
1. Chapter 1

Okay this idea would not get out of my head! I keep entertaining the idea until final I was like I'm writing this down.^^

* * *

Bruce groaned and sat up causing a soft creek from the mattress beneath him.

He ran a hand through his hair and looked next to him at his son Richard. There he lay, only twelve years old, with a thin, muscular body underneath a sour, fraying blanket.

The old, wooden framed bed shook slightly as he rose to his feet and took four large steps into the small, musky bathroom to wash his face and brush his teeth. The tub had a slight tinted ring around the edges that a cleaner could not wipe off.

The white tile covering the floor looked crusted and worn from years of rotting and the light blue paint on the walls needed to be redone. Once finished he pressed the sink nozzle downward with a generous amount of strength until the drip from the faucet slowed to nothing. Exiting the bathroom, he turned left out of the white walled bedroom and into the small, beige kitchen.

He unlocked the simple, red padlock protecting the wooden cabinets from unwanted invaders and pulled out a tube of Quaker oats.

Using a cup from the unlocked cabinet next to him, he filled it with water and stuck the cup into the microwave until it boiled. He then removed two bowls, filled them with a measurement of one half a cup of oats and poured the hot water in with them.

He set them on the table and then locked the oats away in the cabinet once again. He had bought the lock a long time ago, right around the time Richard started getting brave enough to snatch the food from it.

He was always hungry but if Bruce allowed him to eat whenever he wanted there would be a lot more days with nothing on the table. So, to insure they had a steady meal each day he rationed the food they had. He walked quietly over to the bed and spoke to the huddled mess under the covers.

"Dick, the longer you sleep the colder your food will get."

"Whaaaa"

"Get up, sport. Breakfast is on the table."

"Sweet, food!"

Richard jumped out of bed and rushed to the table to devour the plain oatmeal accompanied by Bruce who sat calmly across from him. Not a word was spoken as they ate until the last crumble was licked from the bowl.

"So, was work good last night, never got a chance to ask cuz that gang popped up in our face."

"How's your arm."

"Bruce, my arm's fine. It was just a mild cut and you bandaged it already."

"It's none of your concern Richard."

"I was just asking."

Richard got up from the table, collected the dishes, and began washing them in the sink.

"I'm going to be gone for a couple hours but I want you to stay in the house. I shouldn't be long."

"Can't I go out and play instead."

"Just stay inside. I feel much better when I don't have to worry about where you are."

"Well, I'd feel a lot better if I didn't have to worry about who you're with."

"You want to show up for school Monday with no supplies again."

Richard craftily avoided his gaze by scrubbing intently at a nonexistent stain on the bowl he was washing.

"We got by okay with your other jobs."

" I'll come pick you up and you can pick out some of them, okay?"

"Fine, but two hours you promised. I'm timing you the minute you leave the house."

"Alright, alright two hours straight."

Bruce put on his boots and headed into the hallway with doors and numbers surrounding him. Once outside, the smoggy air of Gotham greeted him and the sun illuminated his figure. He wore a pair of black lace up combat boots over his noir skinny jeans which were balanced out by a tight see-through blue tank.

It was around two in the afternoon but the time for him was normal. He and Richard were always tired after their patrol as Batman and Robin so they slept well into the day unless Richard had school. On most days, he would simply wonder around the city or find a good looking stop to plant his camp to find a customer but today was different.

He had been approached yesterday about doing a quick job for someone during their lunch break. It wasn't often he got requests during someone's work day but that didn't bother him in the slightest.

Their meeting place was in the bathroom of an old convenient store because it only had one stall. His visit was quick for the man only wanted a small job and Bruce's clothes stayed on.

He slipped the $30 he received in his pocket and then listened to his customer's request to meet later that night.

Once they negotiated a place and time, he said goodbye to the man and started on his way home to Richard. He got home and unlocked the door.

"Bruce, you're back before the hours are up!"

Richard smiled at him and jumped up from his place on the kitchen table, library book in hand.

"I told you I wouldn't be gone long. I'll just throw on a T-shirt and we can go get you some school supplies."

Richard rushed out the door as soon as Bruce got the shirt over his head and ran excitedly out of their apartment building with Bruce yelling behind him not to run, be too loud, or go ahead without him.

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Whoa! It begins. I was just thinking what Bruce would do if he's dead poor and he can be such a lady's man that this popped in my head. Hope you keep reading. :3


	2. Chapter 2

:)

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The night was still fairly early by the time Bruce returned home with two hundred dollars safely tucked in the bottom of his boot. Richard was waiting for him once again with a bag on his shoulders and another on by his feet. He threw the bag by his feet at Bruce's face the minute he walked in the door.

"Took you long enough. I bet all the druggies got away by now."

"One more word and you're staying home."

"Ouch, okay shutting up now."

Bruce glared at the kid and waited for him to exit the room before locking the door. They split up when they left their apartment both heading for the roof of some building to change into their costumes. Under the cover of the night, Bruce was able to change quickly.

He slide the armor he had on his body, clipped the slim black utility belt on his waist, and fashioned the mask in the shape of a bat over his eyes.

He had taken the armor from a military base in his early years of training when he was desperate to find anyway to get back at the criminals of Gotham for murdering his parents.

Finally, he threw on his long black hooded cape made of Kevlar fabric. By the time he was about to leave the roof Robin jumped over from a couple roofs away. His costume from his days as an acrobat adorned his body with a long cape made out of the same fabric as Batman's cape and a bird mask.

"I still cannot believe you stole the fabric for our caps."

"How many times have I dragged you to the store to return food." Batman warned.

Robin glared guiltily at his boots. "Whatever. Are we gonna go crime fighting or what."

Batman hated how he stole the material but when Richard became Robin he needed some type of protection. It made him feel like a hypocrite to steal it from the police station. The worst part was when it was reported stolen and then Robin showed up wearing a cape the next day out of the same material.

Gordon never blinked an eye but he got the feeling he just looked the other way instead.

The pair rushed over the roofs to a different part of town. Batman stopped Robin when he heard a lady getting mugged. They got their throwing stars that they liking to call batstars out of their pocket and threw them at the guns the thugs were carrying to eliminate the risk of being shot. After that they made short work of the group and threw them in a pile at the end of the alley.

"I think mine landed over here."

"Just find it."

The pair began searching the ground.

"Ha, got it!"

Robin held up the batstar he had thrown that landed by the dumpster.

"Okay I'll look for yours now. By the way I might be catching up to you."

Batman snorted and pulled a batstar from a trash bag it had cut into.

"I don't think so. How many have you lost this week."

"It's not my fault it's so dark out here and they are so expensive."

The pair flipped onto the roof and ran to a different area of city. They went through the city this way until the sun started creeping up on the horizon. They both rushed back to their apartment area, changed on a roof, stuffed there things in their bags, and walked back to their apartment door.

Once inside they crashed on the bed. The next day was Monday so Bruce set the alarm to wake them up for Richard's school.

When the alarm went off Bruce dragged Dick out of bed with the threat of no breakfast. He fixed him up a peanut butter sandwich for the day and booted him off to go walk to school. He watched as Richard bounced happily down the street with his new school supplies in tow.

It had been a strange day when he brought the eight year old to his apartment. Richard never even questioned when Bruce took him home from the orphanage without so much as a paper being signed. Adoption costs money and that was something he didn't have a lot of.

The orphan house didn't even look to see where Richard had gone. Children went missing too much in Gotham and the kid didn't have any relatives to complain. He often thought about his decision to take Richard in. His parents had died in front of him just like Bruce's but not only that.

He wasn't from Gotham and this city would have destroyed him. He couldn't stand the thought of the kid being sold to one of the many creeps within the city walls but the only way to insure he wasn't was to take the child himself. But sometimes he wondered if he took the kid in for selfish reasons.

Ever since he took him in he had something more personal than the city to fight for and that fact alone brought to life his long dormant smile.

* * *

Okay I think I'm done setting my stage. I wanted to give you a little background on the character's past and kinda how they came to be Batman and Robin while being poor.


	3. Chapter 3

I've very proud of myself I actually updated this on the mental date I set for myself \(^0^)/

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Bruce drummed his fingers impatiently on the counter of the desk set up in a small store in the poorer part of Gotham city. The man at the counter had gone to wrap up the twenty throwing stars he was going to purchase to replace to ones that had been lost or become too blunt to use properly.

He didn't like staying in the weapon store too long because it made him nervous. The man returned shortly with the bundle of weapons and rang them up on the register on the counter.

"Twenty stars for $83.67"

He handed the man the cash and stuffed the weapons in the backpack he had brought with. As he exited the building he let out a huge sigh and began walking to the nearest bus station.

It was two blocks away to the bus that would take him to another bus stop where he could take a bus that would drop him off four blocks from his apartment complex. He watched the people on the bus stonily as he sat in the middle of the bus between an older gentleman and a middle aged guy.

The city was dim with grey clouds hovering near the towering skyscrapers and blocking the sun. When he switched buses he was left standing in the center in front of a comely woman with noticeable surgery to hide her age. The ride dragged on with a sour drown. Bruce just wanted to get the weapons to the safety of his apartment and was more than happy when the bus finally stopped at his station.

Once inside, he tucked them away with the rest of their gear in the closet. He departed again after observing the clock and left for the library three blocks away. He logged onto the computers using his library card and began searching through the Gotham news headlines.

A lot of gang activity had been occurring in the west part of the city where Batman and Robin had not been to in a while. He quickly scribbled down some bus times on a scrap piece of paper nearby, courtesy of the library, and logged out of the computer.

Richard would be returning from school shortly and he needed to get a meal on the table.

"Hey Bruce"

"Hello, squirt. How was your day at school?"

"It was great! I had everything I needed so the teacher didn't glare at me and stuff for being unprepared."

"Hmmm"

"And one of my friends asked to borrow something and I said no."

"Good. We'll be going to the west part of the city tonight."

"But it's so far."

"Alright let's give the villains a safe place to hide where they don't have to worry about us."

"I was just saying."

"So was I. Here's your dinner."

He set down a bowl of oatmeal with banana slices in front of Richard.

"And you?"

"I just paid the fee for our weapons and I think I lost my appetite."

"But…"

"I'll eat something on the way hurry up so we can catch the bus."

Richard ate his food at a decent pace with a soft frown hovering on his lips but he said no more. Their backpacks were retrieved and they walked steadily to the bus station. It was further than the station he had used last but in good time they arrived. It took them over an hour to get to their destination.

Bruce was already shaking his head at the cost to come to this part of the city. Everything increased in price the closer you got to this location which was why he avoided patrolling it if he could. He could already see his budget book crying over this unexpected travel expense.

They walked until they found a park and sat down to wait till the sun finished closing its eyelids. As they sat there Richard coyly pulled out a banana and threw it at Bruce.

"You left it on the table so I grabbed it for you."

Bruce growled in annoyance at Richard but accepted the fruit. He had meant to leave it behind.

"Anything big going on?"

"Just reminding these people who protects this city. Remember to stay close. They haven't seen us in a while so they'll be more daring."

"Yeah, yeah I know."

When the last ray of the sun sunk beneath its lashes they both arose casually and moved into a deserted alley. There they changed together and climbed their way onto the roof. It wasn't long till they made their first move on a mugger, followed by stopping gang activity, more gangs, and some lone thefts.

The sun began to creep back over the horizon they hurried to their alleyway and changed back into civilian clothes. When they returned to their apartment Richard crashed on the bed but Bruce stayed up. He had neglected that area for too long and now he would have to return there for a couple days. It was obvious the gang was up to something big and Gordon would need to be involved.

He ran his hand through his hair and picked up the open letters that were lying on the table. He had to pay the rent the next morning and the medical bills from nights gone wrong where still waiting with two weeks left till the next payment.

He had the pay for the rent but not the medical bills. He set them back on the table and crawling into bed. He still had two weeks. He tried not to think about the gang activity.

He hoped it didn't take all of his attention because when would he find the time to work? He rolled over to gaze at Richard but that didn't help him sleep either. He got up in frustration, put on his clothes, and decided to go for a walk in the early morning air. If he couldn't sleep he didn't see why he should sit awake in his house.

If he was lucky he'd get a job on his walk but it wasn't his main concern. He just wanted to clear his head. After about an hour of walking around the block he stood silently in the area's park and watched the sun creep lazily into the sky.

He heard someone approaching him but didn't turn till they stopped next to him. He turned and flashed the man next to him a huge smile.

"Hello, can I help you."

The man swept his brown eyes lightly over Bruce's frame.

"I think you can. How much do you go for?"

"Depends on what you desire but an hour usually comes out to $200."

The man nodded and studied Bruce some more before handing him a one hundred dollar bill.

"I'll give you the rest afterwards. Does it matter where we go?"

"Nope. As long as no one else can see, that costs extra."

The man grinned and walked down the street with Bruce walking next to him his gloom forgotten in the presence of a client and his public mask firmly in place. The man had an apartment and had been returning home from working the night shift.

Bruce began playfully teasing the man on the way to their destination until his heart was bursting with desire. As soon as the door to the apartment was shut, red lips descended upon Bruce pinning him to the wall in a rush of heat.

At the end of the hour, Bruce accepted the other $100 and slipped it inside his boot before pulling them on. He thanked the man for his business and left to return to his own apartment.

Richard was gone by the time he returned which meant the kid had to skip breakfast and had no lunch. He chose not to dwell on it and instead took the money he had in his drawer and went to go pay his rent.


	4. Chapter 4

Took longer than I wanted to get this one up but I've been a bit busy so it cannot be helped.

* * *

Bruce spent the day running around city blocks looking for work and doing his job. It was late by the time he started heading home and he knew Richard had long since returned from school. He moved quickly down the streets and stopped at an open lot filled with the neighborhood kids who were all playing kick the can together.

Richard was in the group and led the gang of the opposing team. He frowned as he observed his ward more closely to see a half-eaten apple in his hand. Without saying much of anything he stepped into the middle of their game. The kids all greeted him for he was well known and liked among them.

"Hey, Bruce!"

"Sup' Bruce!"

"Aw, I was just about to score."

"Are the fish biting today?"

That last comment earned a boy a little older than Richard a smack on the back of his head from Dick.

"Say that again and I'll bite you on the arm."

Bruce casually swiped the apple from Richard's hands and looked at it passively.

"I see someone gave you an apple."

Richard's gaze snapped back to Bruce instantly and then found the floor. He said nothing.

"Well you look pretty guilty for being given an apple."

Bruce swept his eyes over the other boys who held their arms up defensively displaying no apple.

"I guess if you're that guilty about it we could just go pay for it. Couldn't we Dick?"

The other kids saw the tension rising and quickly excused themselves to their homes. Bruce grabbed Richard roughly by the arm and all but started dragging him towards the market. Richard scurried next to him but the close proximity made it hard for him to keep they got to the market Bruce released his grip and dug out some money from his boot. He gave it to Richard.

"Go pay for that apple."

He followed the boy to the register and timidly told the clerk he needed to pay for an apple. The apple was quickly bought and then Bruce started walking briskly home so Richard had to jog lightly to keep up with him. Once inside with the door shut, Bruce turned his scowl on his ward.

"They didn't even notice."

"And that makes it okay to steal."

"I was hungry."

"I don't care what you were stealing is not an option you have."

"You've stolen before."

Bruce's scowl turned deadly.

"I don't care what I did before, if you think that justifies what you did you're mistaken."

"You stole so we wouldn't get killed, okay. Well, I stole so I wouldn't starve. Same concept only mine costs a lot less."

"You were not starving you simply refused to wait until I got home."

"Which could be till what, the next day!"

"One does not die from no food for a day Grayson or I would have been dead by now. Don't expect to go on patrol tonight."

"What! What if something happens?"

Bruce moved past him and collected his backpack from the closet.

"I'm sorry, okay. Don't make me stay home."

Bruce simply walked over and snatched Richard's house keys from him. He locked the boy in the house and left him to pace the room wondering what sort of state his guardian would return in. It really worked out better this way because now he only had to pay for one person to travel on the bus.

Once he was adorned in his costume and on the roof of one of the many buildings of Gotham he set about watching the area eagle eyed for any activity of the new gang. He stopped a mugging here and there or disrupted a less then honorary business deal. It was when he was perched atop a roof mulling over the possible leads he could follow when he felt someone drop behind him.

"Too heavy, I heard you with plenty of time to react."

"Maybe I wanted to be loud to let you know I was coming." Batgirl coyly replied.

Batman grunted in response and turned to face her.

"There's a new drug gang rising up around this part of town."

"They all seem the same to me."

"You need more training."

"I'm all ears Batman."

He lunged at her forcing her to jump backwards.

"You go straight to it don't you."

She dodged another one of his punches and tried her offense out for a spin. They dueled on the roof for a while with Batman clueing her in to various techniques as they fought and correcting her mistakes. Finally, he grabbed her and pinned her on the floor with her face brushing the rock.

"Ow."

He let her get up and dropped down in the alley with her following closely behind.

"So where's Wonder Boy?"

She didn't get a response.

"Fine don't tell me. Probably had too much homework to do right?"

She sighed as she followed him to one of the hotel buildings. He stalked through the lower areas until he came across a gang of people meeting in an alley. He shoved batgirl to the wall with a sweep of his hand and pressed himself flat against its surface. The men talked briefly about a location for their next drug shipment they would be bringing in and departed.

"Shouldn't we have taken them?"

"And blown the chance to bust them in action? No. Remember, you must catch them with the evidence or your capture was just a vigilant assaulting a civilian."

"Okay,okay."

"Tell the commissioner he'll want to stay in this area tomorrow night."

"You act like that's an easy thing to do without being suspicious."

Batgirl turned to Batman but he had already disappeared.

By the time Bruce made it into his home and through the door the sun was peeking out over the horizon. Richard had fallen asleep in his clothes, a sure sign that he had meant to stay awake. He set his equipment in the corner of the room and crawled into bed.

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There you go.^^ Not quite sure how I feel about my Batgirl let me know what you think. I loved writing the apple moment with Richard and it was a good chance to show how Bruce can still be his cold self, circumstances willing.


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